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COMINGS, GOINGS, AND DOINGS

By Ed ForryMay 30, 2018

Ed Forry

Oyster Harbors Golf Tournament to benefit MGH’s Durant Fellowship
The annual Thomas S. Durant, MD, golf tournament is set for Mon., June 18, at the elegant Oyster Harbors Club in Osterville on the Cape. There’ll be a shotgun start at 1 pm. The tournament chairman is Bill Reilly Jr., and honorary chairman is Dr. Roman DeSanctis. The event benefits the Durant Fellowship for Refugee Medicine at Mass General Hospital. Pictured above, Tom Durant (1928-2001) spent his life bringing medical treatment and hope to sites of catastrophe and chaos in some of the world’s most forsaken and forlorn spots.
To register for the tournamen, contact Mary Sugrue at mary@irishap.org, or register online at tinyurl.com/y7zym3pn.

Boston Magazine is out with a listing of what it terms “The 100 Most Influential People in Boston.”
In a May cover piece prepared and edited by longtime political writer David S., Bernstein, the magazine anoints Linda Pizzuti Henry, managing director of The Boston Globe, as the No. 1 “Shaper” in our town. Mayor Marty Walsh is No. 2.
“Who really runs this town?” Bernstein wrote. “That’s the question we asked ourselves—and dozens of insiders—when we sat down to put this delightfully subjective list together.
“We weren’t looking for the richest people in Boston, or even the smartest. Instead, we sought out the businesspeople, tech moguls, politicians, and tastemakers that the rest of us are all watching, the folks who are truly shaping the city.”
Of naming Walsh in second place, the magazine said: “He won reelection as mayor with nearly two-thirds of the vote – without bothering to run ads or really dip into his multimillion-dollar campaign war chest. It’s his town now.”
Some 18 Bostonians with Irish roots were listed after Walsh: John Fish, Suffolk Construction, 5; Bob Rivers, Eastern Bank, 8; Jim Rooney, Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, 9: Attorney General Maura Healey, 10; Philanthropist Jack Connors, 11; Massport’s Tom Glynn, 18; Mass Biotech Council’s Bob Coughlin, 33; Boston City Planner Brian Golden, 37; HYM Investment Group developer Tom O’Brien, 46; Boston Medical Center’s Kate Walsh, 49; UMass president Marty Meehan, 56; Mayor Walsh policy advisor Joyce Linehan, 59; PR guru George Regan, 71; State Street Bank’s Jay Hooley, 72; Cardinal Sean O’Malley, 81; Congressman Joe Kennedy III, 95; and Boston Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy, 98. No. 100? Tom Brady.

Come to Coffee Hour at the Irish Consulate
Ireland’s Consulate in Boston has extended an open invitation for visitors to its “First Friday” Networking Breakfast on June 1 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Consulate General of Ireland in Copley Square, Boston. The office began the regular informal sessions last month. Interested persons are invited to “stop by for scones and hear the latest community, cultural and business news,” the consulate said in an email, adding, “come in for a cup of tea and promote an event of interest to the Irish diaspora. Spread the word and bring your friends! Please bring a valid photo ID to present at reception on arrival.” The offices are located at 535 Boylston Street, 5th Floor, Boston MA 02116. Pre-register at tinyurl.com/ydylnj7f.

Irish/Network Boston New Orleans-bound
Members of Irish Network/Boston are making plans for a fall trip to New Orleans for IN/USA ’18, the sixth annual gathering of Irish Network groups from across the country. The national umbrella group consists of 19 chapters with 3,527 members, and allows members to connect with their peers across the country. The Boston chapter is headed this year by co-presidents Cathal Conlon and Victoria Denoon.

Hearts for Orphans benefit raises $144k for its cause
The 9th annual Irish Hearts for Orphans benefit dance on April 15 at the Boston Marriott Quincy raised more than $144,000, organizers said. Since 2010, this annual event has supported orphanages in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and several central and south American countries. The charity provides children in need with education, food, healthcare, love, family, hope, and the opportunity for a better life.
The April event featured three bands- Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, Erin’s Melody, and Noel Henry’s Irish Showband – and local Irish step dancers from the Kenny Academy of Irish Dance. A grand prize raffle for a round-trip flight to Ireland was won by Paul Miller of Westfield. Other raffle winners were Miles Allen of Manchester, who received a weekend getaway at Cape Cod Irish Village, and Delia McInerney of West Roxbury, who won a $200 purse.

IIIC breakfast audience hears US Rep. Clark
She was the featured speaker at last month’s Business Leaders Breakfast hosted by the Irish International Immigrant Center (IIIC). “I lean on the stories and advocacy of the IIIC and guests of the Business Leaders Breakfast to push our federal partners into action,” Clark said in a tweet after the event. “Thank you for working to make sure immigrants have a voice and that leaders in Washington hear it loud and clear.”

$100k grant to the IIIC from the Cummings Foundation
Ronnie Millar, the executive director of the Irish International Immigrant Center, offered thanks last month to Joyce and Bill Cummings and their foundation for a $100,000 grant award to assist the center with its programs and its mission. Millar also took note of recent action in the state Senate, which added four key protections for immigrants into the state budget, citing the leadership of the Safe Communities Coaltion, MIRA, and Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Acton.

NY Mets call up Irish-born pitcher
Amidst much ballyhoo, a 24-year-old pitcher made his first major league appearance when he started a game last month for the New York Mets. When PJ Conlon (Patrick Joshua) was called up from the minors, he made a bit of history: He was the first MLB player in 70 years to have been born on the island of Ireland.
Conlon was born in Belfast in 1993 to an Irish father and Scottish mother who had met when at college in California. The couple returned to Belfast, where they were living when PJ was born. The family returned to the US in 1995. PJ was a 15th round draftee out of San Diego State College in 2015 who spent the last two years in the minor leagues. The numbers in his major league start: 3.2 innings pitched, a 7.36 ERA.
The last Irish-born big leaguer was Joe Cleary, who pitched in one game for the Washington Senators in 1945, recording just one out – a strikeout – and allowing seven runs on five hits.